Musical coaches: national teams across the World Cup announce leadership swaps

Just ask NBA coaching legends Don Nelson and Pat Riley, the career of a coach at the highest level of any sport is bound to be a transient ordeal, involving more moves and personnel changes than Latin boy band sensation Menudo.

A recent FIS report documented the many coaching changes happening across the sport of ski racing. The voices on the radios around the World Cup are going to change for several teams this season.

As we reported earlier this spring, the U.S. Ski Team will have need to replace both alpine director Jesse Hunt and men’s coach Greg Needell. Both team veterans left the bright lights and hectic travel schedules of the national team, opting for positions with junior clubs in their local areas.Just ask NBA coaching legends Don Nelson and Pat Riley, the career of a coach at the highest level of any sport is bound to be a transient ordeal, involving more moves and personnel changes than Latin boy band sensation Menudo.

A recent FIS report documented the many coaching changes happening across the sport of ski racing. The voices on the radios around the World Cup are going to change for several teams this season.

As we reported earlier this spring, the U.S. Ski Team will have need to replace both alpine director Jesse Hunt and men’s coach Greg Needell. Both team veterans left the bright lights and hectic travel schedules of the national team, opting for positions with junior clubs in their local areas.

Long-time Swiss men’s speed team coach Patrice Morisod will now be found behind the French men’s speed team. Morisod saw much success with Switzerland, shaping speed stars Didier Cuche and Didier Defago. He will be replaced by Lara Gut’s former personal coach, Mauro Pini. Gut’s father, Pauli Gut, along with veteran coach Karl Frehsner will now oversee the young star’s training. Switzerland will also lose women’s assistant coaches Beat Schur and Hans Ueli Bösch.

France will also replace its men’s slalom coach Jacques Theolier with Frederic Perrin, as Theolier will now work with the Italian team.

The Swedish alpine team has named Thomas Stauffer as its new men’s head coach. His former position as head coach for both genders will be filled by general manager for Alpine Skiing, Anders Sundqvist. Former World Cup speed team coach Ulf Emilsson will now head the women’s team, replacing Hans Ottosson who will lead the women’s junior team.

The slumping Austrian team will make a total of 17 coaching changes in an effort to right last year’s disappointing results. Christian Hoflehner will taken over the men’s technical squad, while Andreas Evers will assist with the downhill team and Walter Hlebayna will rejoin the Austrian ranks after working with the German team.

Karlheinz Waibel will direct the German men’s team following Christian Scholz’s serious training accident last September. Thomas Aschauer will oversee the speed team, replacing Walter Hlebayna. A replacement for technical coach Mario Weinhandl has not yet been decided.

The Norwegian women’s team will now be under the tutelage of Svein Erik Owesen and Jorgen Nordlund. The men’s team will remain the responsibility of Marius Arnesen and his current staff.

Patrice Morisod (pictured with Didier Cuche) will move to the French men’s speed team.